Scotland fans have descended on Boston for the World Cup, and bars are
struggling to keep up
[June 20, 2026] By
KYLE HIGHTOWER
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Ever since Scotland fans learned they’d begin
the country’s ninth World Cup appearance in Boston, plans were being
made for a party.
“I knew there was going to be a tsunami of Tartan Army (Scotland fans),”
said Jason Waddleton, a Scotland native and owner of The Haven, a
Scottish restaurant and bar in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood since
2010.
He was right.
First, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey agreed to temporarily extend bar
and restaurant hours during the World Cup. Next came thousands of Scots
— one estimate is as high as 50,000 — descending on the Boston area,
including nearby Providence, Rhode Island, which has become a home base
for many of them over the past few weeks.
Then it was the Tartan Army marching through Boston’s streets following
the country’s opening win over Haiti last week — taking over the city’s
famed Fenway Park alongside Red Sox Nation after the team dubbed it
“Scottish Heritage Celebration Night.”
And the taps have been running nonstop.
World Cup fans in Boston, especially the Scots, have put a serious
strain on the beer supply in a city that is accustomed to big drinking
holidays in St. Patrick's Day and the Fourth of July.
The Haven, which has long served Scotland's top-selling beer, Tennent's
Lager, has gone from four kegs a week to ordering 50 just for this week.
Other bars have sold out of Tennent's and have tripled their orders to
make sure it doesn't happen again. Sam Adams said its Boston taproom ran
out of their famed Samuel Adams Boston Lager last weekend after Scottish
fans descended on the city.
“We’ve basically blown through our own allocation. We still have it and
we’ll get more in on Monday,” Waddleton said.
The celebratory atmosphere intensified Friday as Scotland prepared to
play its second World Cup match of the tournament outside Boston.
“They know how to party, how to make friends and influence people,”
Waddleton said of the Scots.
Scots fill pubs in the Boston area, challenging beer reserves
One of the most sought-after beverages in Boston pubs over the last week
is Tennent's Lager.
Once only available at The Haven, before the tournament started
Tennent’s made deals and distributed kegs of its product to 80 bars in
Boston and surrounding areas.
Samantha Crawford, the international marketing manager for Tennent’s,
said they started preparing to distribute their product to the U.S. as
soon as Scotland qualified for the the World Cup in November. They've
also sent supplies to Miami bars ahead of Scotland's match against
Brazil next week.
“It’s been a long time in the making. The next day we got to work,” she
said of the preparations to make sure the beer is stocked in the U.S.
She said the beer is ingrained in the sports culture in Scotland.
Many area bars and restaurants have been caught by surprise
Mivan Spencer, owner of Caffe Dello Sport in Boston’s North End, said he
is used to handling large crowds for major soccer tournaments, but has
been surprised by the amount of business he’s seen during the World Cup.
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Scottish fans drink and sing at a pub in central Boston, Mass,,
ahead of the World Cup Group C soccer match between Haiti and
Scotland in Foxborough, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin
Meissner)
 “After the first weekend of matches
I definitely ran out of almost everything,” Spencer said. “Luckily I
have a couple other restaurants I borrowed product from to get me
through.”
The first thing he sold out of was Tennent’s, before quickly selling
out of Peroni.
Spencer said he’s since tripled his usual alcohol order for this
week, saying it’s so “I don’t run out of a single thing.”
Over at High Street Place, a food hall in downtown Boston, beverage
supplies that were expected to last a week were consumed in four
days, said Lauren Johnson, a senior marketplace manager at the
venue.
“Fortunately, we have great partners, and our distributors were able
to pivot quickly and increase subsequent orders to keep pace with
demand seamlessly,” she said.
Tapping in — and out — of iconic Boston beer Sam Adams
Sam Adams said its Boston taproom ran out of their famed Samuel
Adams Boston Lager last weekend. From Thursday to Sunday, the
Boston-based brewer said the Tartan Army drank four times as much
Boston Lager as the establishment typically sells during a four-day
holiday stretch like the Fourth of July.
To date, Sam Adams has sold more than 4,000 pints of Boston Lager,
resulting in about 90 empty kegs, said Devon Sage, a Sam Adams
spokesperson.
“We’ve had to schedule four ‘emergency deliveries’ to the Taproom,”
Sage wrote in an email.
Soccer diplomacy comes to Massachusetts because of the World Cup
Politicians in Massachusetts have also joined in on the soccer
craze.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has been a fixture at Boston’s fan festival
and made appearances at several watch parties. Gov. Healey declared
June 18 “World Cup Fans Appreciation Day” and was spotted at The
Haven behind the bar pouring drinks for patrons.
It brought a smile to Waddleton’s face, though he said the governor
may need to work on her bartending skills a little.
“Maura Healey needs to learn how to pour a pint before getting that
Sunday shift she asked for," Waddleton said. “But we can work on
that.”
___
Associated Press writer Kimberlee Kruesi, and freelancers Ken Powtak
and Caterina McGuigan contributed to this report.
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